


Loyalty

by Bunny17



Category: Suits - Fandom
Genre: 3x01, AU, Angst, Crying, Dominant, Everyone's a sub or a dom, Happy Ending, Hurt!Mike, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Neglect, Regret, Sub/Dom universe, Subdrop, Submissive, Suits, Weight loss that's accidental, argument, guilty!harvey, sub/dom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 23:24:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11218398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunny17/pseuds/Bunny17
Summary: Mike is Harvey's sub of two years, after problems at the office lead to problems at home, Harvey struggles to separate his job from his love life .'Harvey, I'm sorry alright! But I need you to listen to me; now!-''Listen to you?!' Harvey snapped incredulously spinning round on his heel, eyes ablaze. 'You know when I would've listened to you? That night.''Jessica threatened me! I don't-''I don't care! Anyone comes at you with any threat at all, you come to me. I don't give a shit if it's the queen of England; you come to me. You tell me. You tell me everything'





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set after season 3 episode 1 but has characters of season one such as Kyle, not cannon complient and possibly out of character, sorry! Sub/Dom AU where mike is Harvey's sub when this : https://youtu.be/gPdDjdWCbmg happens.  
> I don't own any charecters or anything like that, hope you all enjoy xox

'Harvey, I'm sorry alright! But I need you to listen to me; now!-'  
'Listen to you!?!' Harvey snapped incredulously spinning round on his heel, eyes ablaze. 'You know when I would've listened to you? That night.'  
'Jessica threatened me! I don't-'  
'I don't care! Anyone comes at you with any threat at all, you come to me. I don't give a shit if it's the queen of England; you come to me. You tell me. You tell me everything.' Mike’s breath hitched, eyes welling up with silent tears. 'That's what goddam loyalty is.' He boomed, voice echoing through the near empty room, and just like that, Harvey's gone, leaving the shocked sub standing alone in the suddenly too big foyer.

Mike stumbled through the door to Harvey's condo, hands shaking, eyes dull. It had been 3 weeks since the argument, 3 weeks since Harvey had slept in his own bed, 3 weeks since Mike had been dropped.  
Mike couldn't handle it anymore. Sleepless nights disturbed only by the gentle click of the door opening, hours past midnight, and the soft padding of feet that disappeared towards the guest room. The first night, when Harvey had crawled silently into bed beside Mike; he had tried to fix it. Wordlessly curling up behind the older Dom, fingers brushing sweetly against the back of his neck in a tongue-tied apology. Harvey had flinched. Pulling away from the hopeless sub and grabbing his pillow, before mutely stumbling towards the guest room, where he would stay for the remainder of whatever this argument was. He wasn't drunk, but it sure felt that way. He thought maybe things would get better after a while; that Harvey would come back to him. However, after a week of sleepless nights and stale toast, Mike realized, that there was a high chance his Dom wouldn't be coming back.  
Mike's stomach growled in complaint as he slumped on the couch. He wouldn't eat. Couldn't eat. Everything tasted wrong, like his tastebuds had disintegrated the day Harvey had left him. He needed his Dom. The reassuring rules that screamed safety, love and protection.

Mike shivered, wrapping his arms around himself as he curled up on the couch, uncaring of his now crumpled suit.  
Work was hell these days, Mike hardly ever saw his Dom, so little in fact that Mike wondered if he could still be called his Dom. Mike let out a desperate sob, hands balling into fists as he thought back on the seemingly endless weeks of files slammed on his desk by Donna or voiceless notes stating his day’s duties left in the bullpen by the man who no longer wanted him. At first it had been okay, the anger was still there, the defiance of a strong willed sub still simmered in his gut whenever Harvey walked past him in the hall, and the occasional barked orders kept his head clear and his hormones semi-straight. Although, after a while the barked orders disappeared and were replaced by radio silence.

Mike sniffled, bringing his fists up to rub at his tired eyes before forcing himself up and off the couch and trudging towards the showe; Harvey would never forgive him if he came into work looking disheveled, regardless of the date.  
Mike winced, images of the car screeching desperately to a halt, seconds too late to avoid the collision. He gulped, forcing the thoughts out of his head, the guilt would come tomorrow; crashing down on him like a truck load of bricks, crushing his chest so hard he wouldn't be able to breath. There were 4 hours till tomorrow, and yet the impending drop had already began.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> So I didn't like the way the first chapter had portrayed Harvey, I didn't think he would just completely leave his sub without knowing which way was up. So I went back and edited it, so if you want to re-read the first chapter, there's a few changes to the story... but if not, the gist of it is that Harvey still lives with mike but now stays in the guest room, he's home past midnight and gone before mike wakes up pretty much every day, and this chapter is no different.  
> Caution for mention of car crashes and the death of mikes parents.  
> Hope you enjoy x

Mike woke with a gasp. Heart racing, sweat dripping, tears streaming. He shivered, hands throwing off the too hot cover and stumbling out of bed. He glanced at the clock, wincing at the persistent glaring numbers screaming '5am' and the ominous date above it.  
The sub spun round and made a beeline for the bathroom, screeching to a halt in front of the mirror. Placing his hands on the cold marble he took a breath before dragging his dry eyes up to meet the haunting blue orbs in the mirror.

He sighed softly, hands coming up to scrape across the barely there stubble that littered his face.  
'It's okay...' he mumbled to himself, hand rubbing the back of his neck where his collar should be. He had taken it off for work that day, Harvey had told him to, said there was a surprise for him at work.  
He never got to see that surprise. Never had Harvey home to put his collar back on.  
He whimpered softly, silently begging Harvey to remember what day it was, to come rushing in with soft hands and kind words.  
'Stupid sub' he snapped at himself angrily. 'Wishful thinking will get you nowhere.’  
Mike winced as he pulled Harvey's old Harvard shirt over his head, biting his lip at the too bony reflection that stared back at him. He'd always been skinny, that was no lie. Yet after two years of living, breathing, working with Harvey Spector, he had picked up some physical habits; running, weights, training, the whole lot. All of which had ended the day of the argument. Now all that was left of him was skin, bone, and small sections of lean muscle that refused to budge.  
Mike swore softly at his reflection. Hoping for Harvey's snap of 'language!' at the slip up. It never came.  
Climbing gingerly into the shower Mike began his seemingly never ending routine. The lonesome procedure he was so used to, the same taste of bland bread and expensive, tasteless tap water. The same 5 suits, the same 5 pants, the same 5 sets of work socks, the same black shoes. The tiniest bit of gel worked into limp hair and he was ready.

'Smack!' Mike flinched violently, eyes jerking up to meet the blank face of Harvey before stumbling down to stare at the pile of files that had been unceremoniously dumped on his desk.  
'H-Harvey?' Mike stuttered, blue orbs wide and confused. The older man ignored him in favor of dumping another set of files down next to him. This was strange, Harvey had never brought his files to him since the beginning of the fight, where was Donna? Mike tensed slightly as his sub began to whine within him.   
'Where's Donna?' He voiced his thoughts, eyes flickering up once more to meet Harvey's scornful gaze. It was strange having a work fight bleed into their home life, and Mike's heart began to race at the thought that maybe, just maybe, this was Harvey forgiving him. But the stony silence that followed, proved only that Mike was still unforgiven. And when Harvey turned on his heel and began to walk away, Mike began to panic.  
'Harvey!' He said, a little louder.  
'Harvey!' He cried, stumbling round the plaster walls of his desk in the bullpen and into the narrow hallway in between the associates desks. He had never been alone like this, not even after his parents had died, and yet now on their Anniversary he was. No Grammy, no Trevor, no Harvey.   
'Sir?' The whine escaped his lips before he could stop it. And just like that his legs gave out, leaving him folded on his knees, perfect sub position, head bowed, hands clasped behind his back. The room was silent. The only sound to be heard was the mocking smack of Harvey's thousand dollar shoes smacking against the hard floor as he retreated.   
Mike began to shake. Eyes filling with desperate tears as he clawed at the soft skin of his palms. He couldn't take it anymore, he didn't understand. Why had Harvey left him? Was he a bad sub? Was he too skinny? Too fat? Too greedy? The shakes got worse, it was getting harder and harder to hold position.  
'Bad sub, bad sub, bad sub.' The mantra repeated over and over again until Mike heard a gasp, and then a curse; suddenly the room was alive again, worried chatter filing through the Associates, bickering, swearing.   
'Shut-up!' Snapped a new voice. A safe voice. Kyle’s voice. 'Everyone get out!' He paused, eyes frantic, before pointing to one of the only other subs in the room. 'You.' He stated, Dom voice in full control. 'Go get Jessica' the girl nodded dumbly before stumbling out, closely followed by the rest of the associates.  
Then there were hands touching him, soft, carful hands that cupped his cheeks, a firm hold on the back of his neck that drew him towards the firm chest of the man he once called his rival. He whimpered, wide eyes begging for something, anything that would clear his foggy brain.  
'Shh shh, I know baby, I know.' The words were spoken gently, accompanied by the soft rocking Mike didn't realize he was apart of. 'Such a good boy, you did so well baby, so well, such a good sub. Mike whined, eyes filling with tears. He was tired, so very tired, and all he wanted was his Dom, but right now, the softly spoken words of his, friend? Were kind, and safe, and ordered. And that was all Mike needed to fall into a dreamless sleep. Clutched in the arms of a man who was barley older than him, on the too clean floor of the bullpen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the lovely https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werewolfgirl44/pseuds/Werewolfgirl44 for being the Beta for this story and reworking the previous chapters and fixing the mistakes. <3

Mike woke with a start. Flinching violently at the sound of his Dom’s voice echoing through the glass walls.  
'Easy...' soothed a voice, carding their hand through his hair softly. 'It's just me, Kyle.'  
Mike nodded, head beginning to pound as he pried open his eyes and took in his surroundings.  
He was lying on something cool and soft, yet rigid. A couch. Harvey's couch; his mind supplied.  
'Where's Harvey?' He whined, heaving himself up into sitting position, immediately missing the warmth of Kyle’s hand in his hair.  
'He's with Jessica.' Kyle paused, straightening up from his crouch next to the couch and coming to sit beside Mike. 'They're discussing Harvey's...' Kyle hesitated, leg jiggling nervously. 'Punishment.'  
'What?' Mike asked dumbly, eyes flicking up to meet Kyle's.  
'Mike... your a lawyer, you know what happens to Doms who neglect their subs-'  
'Neglect?!' Mike stood suddenly, eyes ablaze. 'Harvey didn't neglect me!'  
Kyle’s blood boiled as he struggled to remain calm.  
'Then explain the situation that you’re goddam in Michael.' Mike winced, hating the dominant tone that had crept into Kyle's voice.  
'We had an argument.' Mike countered, refusing to back down. 'Couples fight all the time. You’re acting as though he left and never came back! He was there Every. Single. Night.'  
'And yet he never helped you. Never took you down when you needed to be dropped. Never made you eat when you'd been starving yourself for days. Never helped you through the panic attacks and sleepless nights that followed that fight. His duty as a Dom; regardless of the dilemma your in, is to take care of you.'  
'It's not- He didn't mean it, he didn't think it through, it's not his fault.'  
'Then who's goddam fault is it Mike?!' Kyle boomed leaping suddenly to his feet.  
'Do you think it's yours?' Mike flinched at the implication, hating the fact that Kyle was right in thinking that he blamed himself.  
'Harvey had no right to treat me how he did.' Mike took a breath, heart racing. 'But he did not grow up in an environment that modeled the correct way to solve arguments. He did the best he could in a situation he didn't believe he could control, he's trying Kyle - good God he's trying to be the best Dom he can be.'  
'Mike-'  
'Can you not hear that?' Mike snapped back, gesturing wildly towards the hallway where Harvey's desperate pleas and shouts could be heard from. 'He understands now, he made a mistake but you can't punish him for that, people make mistakes all the time.'  
'Not the kind that endanger their subs.' Kyle’s statement held no room for argument. Mike’s shoulders sagged in defeat.  
'Forgive him if you wish Mike, but the law is clear in what it states. Any dominant who mistreats or neglects their submissive must be punished by a higher ranking dominant.'  
'Kyle-'  
'Mike. Stop it. Stop arguing with me about the inevitable. I'm not saying you can't forgive him, I'm saying don't fight Jessica on his punishment. And for fucks sake Michael, don't just tell him that everything is fine and let things go back to normal. He needs to change.'  
Mike nodded mutely, silent tears filling his eyes. He was tired all of a sudden. No, scratch that, he was exhausted. Collapsing onto the couch with a withered sigh he looked up at Kyle, eyes pleading.  
'Kyle?'  
'Yeah baby?'  
'Will you lie with me for a while? Just-just until I can handle seeing him.'  
Kyle didn't respond, simply placed himself between the back of the couch and Mike’s shaking body, wrapping an arm protectively around Mike’s toned torso before pulling him back against his chest.  
'Of course kid.'  
If he noticed the silent tears that dripped sullenly down Mike’s cheeks as Harvey's begging tone grew audible, his demands to see Mike smashing through the glass and leaving it shattered in a pile on the ground, he didn't say a thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Harvey couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't think. It had been three days since the incident, three days since Mike had slept in their house, three days since Harvey had taken to sleeping in Mike’s bed, curled round his pillow that smelt of home.

Harvey was slowly going insane. He'd been suspended from work, Donna wouldn't return his calls, Mike was staying at Rachel's and Jessica had slapped him when he'd turned up for work on the first day of his suspension, hoping she would've forgotten.

Taking a stuttering breath, Harvey slumped into the couch, whimpering softly as his freshly caned buttocks scraped against the fresh leather.

He didn't understand how he could've been so blind, how he could've hurt Mike in such a way and yet be completely oblivious to it.

He was drunk. That much was obvious, from the way his muscular form shook to the bleariness of his eyes. He felt sick, stomach churning as he thought about his sub, was Mike still his sub?  
Standing suddenly, Harvey swayed, hand coming up to run through his shower wet hair before tugging brutally at the soft strands. He stumbled, feet tripping over each other as he ambled towards the bedroom, Mike’s bedroom, what was once their bedroom.

He tumbled onto the bed, ripping the covers away from the mattress and forcing his boxer clad body beneath the sheets. He shivered violently, chest constricting as he thought about the warmth of his sub.

Cuddling with Mike had always been his favorite thing to do. Whether it be on the couch, the floor, the bed. In public, Mike had always ensured that Harvey was the pillow, allowing himself to become smaller and curl into the older man. Yet at night? When the nightmares got too much and Harvey couldn't breathe, Mike would curl around him, a protective shell against the harsh gale that was night, whispering soft words of encouragement.

It made Harvey weak. Broke down his defenses and left him ripped open and vulnerable to the younger man, and when said younger man betrayed him, it felt as though he had slashed through the soft tissue that remained and forced Harvey to his knees; a position no Dominant should be in.

Harvey cursed bringing Mike’s pillow down to clutch tightly. He hadn't meant to react the way he did, to completely shut Mike out of his life the way he had. But the second the younger man had betrayed him, it felt like those nights of vulnerability had been exploited for Mike’s own personal gain, as though the only reason Mike had been with him, had subbed for him, was to betray him. And just like that, Harvey had no longer been in control of his actions, he had shut down, emotions retreating behind what was once an immaculately structured wall, he tried to forget the sub, tried to avoid him at all costs because he couldn't be vulnerable again, the best closer in Manhattan didn't have feelings, and maybe if he cut off the only man that knew the truth, his ruthless facade would remain in tact.

It was 3am by the time Harvey fell into a fitful sleep, body contorting from time to time as if he'd been shocked, sweat beading on his forehead. By the time Mike got there, Harvey had kicked off the sheets and was shaking violently, whimpers escaping his bitten lips, his tight boxers had ridden up to reveal 21 bruising stripes left by Jessica's harsh hand wielding the ratted cane and the scar on his right buttock left behind by his mothers harsh punishments.

Mike swore softly, glancing at the bedside clock that screamed 8am. Harvey never slept this late, was always up at sunrise, at the gym or going over work from the night before. 

Mike was still furious at the older man, hurt and betrayed and over all sickened by the actions of someone that was supposed to support him. And yet he couldn't resist walking over to the bed and climbing in behind his trembling Dom. He placed a soft kiss on the back of his neck, smoothing a hand down the older man’s oblique.

Harvey let out a sob, hand coming up to grasp desperately at Mike’s as he went to move away.  
"Mike?" Harvey's voiced wobbled anxiously.  
"Mike?" His voice was quickly becoming frantic, and Mike knew that if he didn't say something, say anything, his vulnerable Dominant would spiral quickly into a panic attack.  
"Yeah, it's me babe..." he soothed softly, running his thumb along the soft skin of Harvey's hip.  
"Shh, go back to sleep, we'll talk about it in the morning."  
"Mike-"  
"Your not forgiven Harvey." Harvey let out a sob, chest constricting. "Shh, we'll talk tomorrow, just go to sleep Harv... please" 

Harvey nodded mutely, curling up further in on himself as Mike clung to him from behind. A blanket of warmth that ripped Harvey apart all over again, shattering the walls he'd worked so hard to rebuild all over again. Things weren't gonna fix themselves, he knew that, but for now, he was content with ignoring the prospect of tomorrow, and instead focussing on the soft breaths that teased the hairs on the back of his neck, and the stuttered snores that escaped from his submissive’s lips.   
He was home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again thanks to my gorgeous beta who fixes my frequent mistakes, couldn’t do this without you <3

“You missed their death anniversary.” Harvey flinched violently, dropping the spoon he was swirling aimlessly around his oatmeal with a clang. Mike’s voice was monotone as he stared blankly at the space behind Harvey’s head.  
“Mike I—“  
“You must’ve known the date Harvey, hell you sign it on every goddamn piece of paperwork that enters your office!” Mike stood up, chair scraping across the rich floor boards as it flew back, before pacing back and forth across the too clean living room.  
“If you’d left me any longer I could’ve died. No, scratch that I would’ve died. Do you not realize how much I rely on you? How much I need you? I fucked up, I get it, but you left me Harvey. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I felt worthless. Do you know how hard it was? Lying there in an empty bed struggling to breath every night because I hadn’t been dropped since that night!?!” Mike’s voice was steadily getting higher, hysteria echoing though his words as tears welled up in his too blue eyes.  
Harvey ran his hand through his hair restlessly as he stood, slowly extending his hands outward towards the shaken sub as he edged around the breakfast bar towards him.  
“Mike, Mikey, c’mere kid” he whispered softly, heart clenching as the tears spilled over and the younger man began to cry.  
“You left me.”  
“I know.”  
“You didn’t want me.”  
“That’s not true.”  
Harvey reached out, fingertips grazing the boy’s cheek before curling around to cup the back of his head and pulling him Mike into his chest.  
The sub resisted at first, taking a hesitant step back as he shook his head violently, silently pleading for Harvey to just leave it, to just leave him.  
Yet when it came to Harvey, his resolve had never been that strong.  
Letting out a devastated sob the sub collapsed into the older man’s arms, clinging desperately to him as he choked on ragged gasps of air.  
“I know baby, I’ve got you. Just breathe okay? Easy Tiger.” The Dom soothed, sliding his fingers through the younger man’s hair as he continued to whisper sweet nothings.  
“Hey, shh, you’re gonna make yourself sick Mikey, breath with me yeah baby?” The seemingly rhetorical question left no room for argument as Harvey gently but firmly moved his hand to place it over Mike’s heart, wincing as his fingers stumbled over the all too prominent ribcage.  
“Yeah, that’s right.” Harvey soothed, holding the boy closer too him.  
“Perfect.” He coed softly as the sub keened, desperately tangling his fists into Harvey’s shirt before burying his head in his chest.  
Harvey didn’t know how long they stood there, swaying to a nameless rhythm that seemed to be embedded into them both; but as the seconds skipped past, the sub began to relax, his breathing slowing and his heart steadying as he melted into the dominant’s grip.  
After what felt like hours, Harvey let out a breath, before gently detaching himself from the younger man and steering him towards the bathroom.  
“We’re gonna get you washed up, okay kid? And then we’re gonna spend the rest of the day in bed, and you’re gonna get some rest.”  
“Harvey I-“  
“No ‘buts’ puppy. You’re exhausted.” The firm tone soothed Mike as he gave into his instincts and continued to stumble alongside his boss through the corridor and into the bathroom. Obediently kneeling next to the bathtub as his Dom sat on the edge before leaning over to turn on the water, hand flickering under the stream a couple of times before contentedly turning back towards the kneeling man.  
“You okay?” He questioned, once again soothingly running his hands through the subs’ soft hair.  
Mike nodded, letting out a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding before leaning his head against the older man’s thigh, breathing in the smell of home and safety.  
All too quickly, the bath was run and Harvey felt himself reluctantly getting to his feet before hauling his sub up with him. Placing a gentle kiss to the swaying subs’ cheek he began to slowly strip him of his clothes, smiling at the fact that Mike still wore his worn out Harvard shirt to bed even after all these years.  
Mike let out a moan as his sore feet were engulfed by the perfectly warm water, eyes flickering up to look at Harvey adoringly in his endorphin drunk state. The older man simply smiled at him softly as he helped the boy sink into the water.  
There was nothing sexual about how Harvey bathed him, this wasn’t about that. This was about introducing the first bulbs of trust back into their relationship and praying to whatever God was out there that those bulbs flourished into the flowers that they once were.  
Mike was practically purring by the time Harvey hauled him out of the tub and engulfed him in the fluffiest towel he owned. The sub was completely under, subspace gripping to him so tightly that Harvey knew he could hardly tell up from down.  
“That’s it, that’s my Goodboy.” Harvey coed, smiling as his sub gazed up as him adoringly.  
Getting the younger man into a pair of fresh boxers proved harder than he expected; as the younger man was now more asleep than awake and swaying precariously where he stood. But Harvey was gentle and persistent, and eventually got the boxer clad submissive under the sheets and into bed where he clambered in next to him.  
He was pleased when Mike curled up against him, pillowing his head on Harvey’s chest and allowing the older man to wrap his arm protectively around his waist.  
It took a while, but eventually Harvey’s breaths began to even out along with Mike’s and his eyes began to flutter shut and sleep was just about to overtake him when-  
“I missed this Harvey. I missed you.” The sub whispered against him, curling his hand in the soft material of Harvey’s shirt.  
“Me too pup.”  
“I love you.” The words were hopeful and vulnerable. As if Mike’s entire existence would crumble if Harvey chose to ignore the confession.  
“I love you too.” The words were choked, and Harvey felt sick at the realization of what he had almost lost. He ignored the single tear the escaped from his eye in favor of holding his sub closer, burying his face into the soft hairs on the crown of his head and breathing in the smell of Home.


End file.
